Reduction gearing for cranes and hoists



B. F. FITCH.

REDUCTION GEARING FOR CRANES AND HOISTS.

APPLICAIIO'N FILED SEPT- 8. 1919.

1,403,598, Patented Jan. 17, 1922,

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

' B. F." FITCH.

REDUCTION GEARING FOR CRANES A'ND HOISTS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-8,1919.

Patented Jan. 17, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1mm ZA Iii/s.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN F. FITCH, OF EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, A SSIGNOR TO MOTOR TERMINALS COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

REDUCTION GEARING FOR CRANES AND HOISTS.

Application filed September 8, 1919.

To aZ Z whom it may concern Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. FrroH, a citizen of the United States, residing at. Evanston, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Reduction Gearings for Cranes and Hoists, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in hand-driven power devices suitable for operating various machines having a drive shaft. The device may be very conveniently applied, for example, to cranes, hoists, winches and other hand operated hoisting or pulling machinery, and provides a hand-operated wheel applicable to the existing driving shaft and having self-contained reducing gearing.

One of the objects of the invention is to accomplish the efficient embodiment of my gear reduction in a self-contained structure associated witha hand-chain wheel and adapted to be substituted for the usual operating wheel of similar apparatus.

Another object is'to so arrange my reduction gearing that it may be simple and compact, and readily applied to existing apparatus. Y

In the operation, for instance, of hand shifted traveling cranes provided with the usual gear reduction between the hand-chain wheel shaft and the trolley wheel or wheels, frequently heavier loads are carried than will permit of movement by the power which a single workman is able to apply. This results in delays and is a source of inefficiency. Accordingly an object of the present invention is to overcome these ditliculties by the provision of a novel gear reduction, which may be applied to or substituted for the existing gear reduction and by which a single workman may move loads up to the extreme capacity of the trolley.

The above objects will become more clear in the following description in which still further objects appear, and in which the invention is more fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. The essential charact ristics herewith are summarized in the claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevation of a trolley structure showing my improved chain-wheel and associated elements in sec- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 1'7, 1922.

Serial No. 322,536.

tion; Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the chain wheel showing the shaft and sleeve on which it is carried in section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section through the gear housing taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings by reference numerals, my invention comprises a reaction member 10 secured to a trolley mechanism 11 such as illustrated in Fig. l and embracing the drive shaft 12 thereof, and reduction gearing between the reaction member and the drive shaft suitably mounted whereby rotation of the chain wheel will be transmitted through the drive shaft to propel the trolley along a trackway.

The trolley structure shown is merely illustrative of any device to which my invention may be applied. I have shown at l t a portion of an overhead web and channel trackwa over the lower flanges of which travels t 1e trolley of a crane or hoist having wheels 15 and 16. Depending from a shaft 17 extending from the axle of the wheel 15 is shown a supporting journal bracket 18 having a bearing 19 through which extends the drive shaft 12 on which is mounted the wheel 13 carrying a chain (not shown) operated by a workman from the floor below. Rigid on the drive shaft is shown a gear 20 meshing with a gear 21, rigidly connected to the trolley wheel 15, whereby rotation of shaft 12 in either direction will rotate the gears 20 and 21 and propel the trolley wheelthrough planetary wheels 23 and 24 with a sun-wheel 25 rigidly fixed on the shaft 12. The planetary wheels are fixed on a stub shaft 26 supported in a boss 27 provided on the chain-wheel 13 and in a bearing 28 in a dished casing member 29 secured to the wheel 13 and constituting a housing for the sun and planet wheels.

The sleeve 10 is preferably secured to the hub 19 of the-trolley structure by bolts or screws 30 passing through a flanged end 31. The opposite end is spaced from the shaft 12 by a collar or bearing member 32.

The housing member 29 is provided with a closed end having an opening 33 to receive the shaft 12 and sleeve 10. The housing member at its open end 34 is secured by suit- 13-whereby it rotates with the wheel on a bearing 37 in the opening 33 embracing the sleeve 10.

Both the sun and planet wheels preferably consist of spur gears, and their sizes may be selected to give such a differential reduction between the chain wheel and drive shaft as may be convenient or desirable. Suitable spacing washers each designated 38 may be provided between the gears, the housing member 29 and the wheel 13. The

chain-wheel 13 has a hub'42 containing a bearing 43 to receive the end of the shaft 12, and a retainin collar 44 is suitably mounted on the en of the shaft 12... The wheel 13 has a suitable flanged toothed rim cooperating with a chain (not shown) manually operated b'yja workman from below.

In assembling my improved device the sleeve 10 is placed overthe end of shaft 12 and secured to the trolley structure at 19. The housing member 29 may then be slipped over the outer end of the sleeve and the gear 22 secured to the end of the sleeve. One end of the stub shaft 26 having planetary gears 23 and 24 keyed thereto may then be inserted into the bearing 28 after which the hub 42 and boss 27, of thewheel 13 may be mounted on the projecting ends of the shaft 12, and stub shaft 26, respectively, and secured t0 the housing member 29 by the bolts 35.

In 0 eration a workman will rotate the .wheel in either directionby grasping the endless chain running over the wheel 13. The gear 22 being rigid with the relatively stationary sleeve 10, the gear 23 will travel around the gear 22 in planetary motion carrying with it the slightly smaller car 24. By the intermeshing engagement 0 the latter with the sun gear 25 larger than the gear 22, shaft 12 may be rotated from the chain wheel at a loss in speed and consequent gain in power, the rotationof shaft 12 being transmitted through the gears 20 and 21 to the trolley wheel 15.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I have attained the above mentioned objects inasmuch as' my improved chain wheel'may be readily adapted to any traveling structure,as illustrated in Fig. ,1, and the differential reduction gearing contained therewith, as above described. will permit the convenient moving of much greater loads.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

' 1. In combination with the trolley of a traveling crane or hoist, a reactionary member fixed thereto, a' drive shaft for said trolley, a driving wheel carried by said drive shaft, gearing carried by said driving wheel and coacting with the reactionary member and the drive shaft, whereby motion reduction between the driving wheel and driving shaft is obtained, a cup-shaped gear housing positioned intermediate the reactionary member and the trolley and extending outwardly over said gearing, and means for enclosing the open end of the housing, said means comprising a portion of the driving wheel.

2. In combination with adevice to be driven and a drive shaft there-for, a sleeve extending from the device and surrounding the shaft. means for maintaining the sleeve in spaced relation to the shaft, a driving wheel supported by the shaft, gearing 'coacting with said sleeve and shaft, whereby motion reduction between said wheel and shaft is obtained, and means extending from the driving wheel to the sleeve and supporting said caring.

3. n combination with the trolley of a traveling crane or hoist and the driving shaft therefor, a sleeve secured to said trolley surrounding said shaft, means for maintaining said sleeve in spaced relation to the shaft, a. driving wheel rotatable on said shaft and sleeve, a housing carried by said wheel, a stub shaft parallel to the drive shaft and mounted in said housing, a gear secured to said sleeve, a gear secured to said shaft, and 'pinions fixed to said stub shaft intermeshing with said gears.

4. In combination with the trolley of a traveling crane or hoist, a drive shaft therefor, a reactionary member fixed to said tro-lley surrounding said drive shaft, a chain wheel carried by said drive shaft, 2. housing secured to the chain wheel and extending around the reactionary member and positioned on the sleeve, a stub shaft carried by said housing and positioned parallel with the drive-shaft, gearing connecting the stub shaft with the drive shaft, said gearing coacting with the reactionary member and drive shaft, to provide motion reduction between said wheel and shaft.

5. In combination with the trolley of a traveling crane or hoist, a drive shaft there for, a reactionary member fixed to said trolley surrounding said drive shaft and spaced therefrom, a chain wheel rotatable on said drive shaft, a gear housing forming a part of the chain wheel and rotatably mounted on the reactionary member, a stub shaft carried partly by the'chain wheel and partly by the housing, said stub shaft being ositioned parallel to the drive shaft, and gearing between said shafts, whereby the drive wheel drives said drive shaft at a reduced speed.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto ailix my signature.

BENJAMIN F. FITCH. 

